PROCEEDINGS 



OF 



THE ROYAL SOCIETY. 



1830-1831. [No. 5.— Suppl. 



June 2. 



Sir ASTLEY COOPER, Bart. V.P., in the Chair. 



A paper was read, u On the Caves and Fissures in the Western 

 District of the Mendip Hills." By the Rev. David Williams, A.M. 

 F.G.S., Rector of the parishes of Bleadon and Kingston-Seamoor, 

 in the County of Somerset. Communicated by Davies Gilbert, Esq, 

 V.P.R.S. 



The first cavern described in this paper is situated at Uphill, at 

 the very western extremity of the Mendip Hills. Its present en- 

 trance is about midway in a mural face of transition limestone, 

 about a hundred feet high. The fissure leading into it is nearly 

 vertical, and was discovered by some quarry-men casually inter- 

 secting it. Some bones and teeth being found there, the author was 

 induced to pursue the exploration of the fissure ; in the course of 

 which he discovered bones of the rhinoceros, hysena, bear, ox, 

 horse, hog, fox, polecat, rat and mouse, and also of birds. The bones 

 of the animals of the larger species were so gnawed and splintered, 

 and evidently of such ancient fracture, that no doubt could exist of 

 the cave having been a hyaena's den, similar to Kirkdale and Kent's 

 Hole. All the ancient remains were found in the upper regions of 

 the fissure, and were so firmly imbedded in the detritus, as not to 

 be extracted without difficulty with the pick-axe. Further on he 

 found a wet tenacious loam, abounding with an innumerable quan- 

 tity of bones, belonging exclusively to birds. After working six 

 days he came to a cavern, ten or twelve feet high, extending about 

 forty feet from north to south, and varying from eight to twenty 

 feet from east to west; the floor of which was covered with bones 

 of sheep : and on digging into the mud and sand of which it con- 

 sisted, the bones of sheep, birds, cuttle-fish, and foxes, were disco- 

 vered. Some fine stalactites depended from the roof, and partial 

 spots of stalagmite appeared on the floor. In a fissure that branched 

 from the mouth of the main entrance there were found, among the 

 sand, a piece of black Roman pottery, and two coins, one of Didius 

 Julianus, and the other of Julia Mammaea, together with bones of 

 sheep, cuttle-fish, foxes, and birds. 



The author considers that there exist evidences of the operation 

 of water at three distinct periods of time :< — the first indicated by 



